Is the Alcohol industry getting too sweet?

Millennials in particular are huge fans of the sweet, fruity drink.

July 22, 2014

We’ve noticed a growing trend hitting the shelves recently and it's one we're not too fond of - excessively sweet alcoholic drinks… excessively sweet and with an excessive alcohol content. It seems the market, more than ever is bursting with fruity, sweet, alcoholic drinks to appeal to the young at heart, and some skewed towards the female, consumer. In a recent article in Adage the point is made that in the alcohol industry - millennials in particular are huge fans of the sweet, fruity drink, so brands are going hard with an array of new options.

Take for example, Buzzballs. The Buzzball comes in round, plastic, freezable cans in flavors such as "Strawberry Rum Job" and "Forbidden Apple." Designed for summers by the beach or pool they look more like a fun fruit juice than alcohol.

And speaking juices, the “Happy Juice Express” looks particularly like it’s trying to appeal to a young crowd and guess what, in this 24-ounce bottle there is 12% alcohol-by-volume, which is about three times the punch of your average light beer!

Also strong on the alcohol is Redd's Wicked Apple, a spin off from MillerCoors and following up their recent Redd's Apple Ale launch with Redd's Wicked Apple, and at 8% alcohol-by-volume packs more punch than regular Redd's (5%).

Now, there’s nothing wrong with a great summer cocktail or a refreshing fruit flavored drink, but our problem with these is that they’re marketing young. Most of the designs for these drinks look more like a kid’s fruit juice, young and fun, than a drink for adults. When the alcohol content is so high, shouldn't more care be taken when it comes to marketing?